“I know, I was afraid we’d have to push Freeground all the way through the side of the nebula,” Ayan said. “Who gets to tell Liara about her mission?”
“I’ll go get Remmy, you tell Liara what she’ll be doing while we’re away scouting ahead.” Jake knew Ayan wished she was going, it was her kind of diplomatic mission, but she didn’t seem disappointed.
“I think I like her,” Ayan said. “How you got her away from Oz’s bridge staff, I’ll never know.”
“I’m sneaky,” Jake said, standing. His dizziness was almost gone, and the deck felt firm under his feet. “I’ll tell Stephanie to get a shuttle with supplies ready to transport Liara and Remmy to the station. They should appreciate a few crates of dense forma and a container or two of fruit for bribes.”
“Devious,” Ayan said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Once that’s off, I’ll see you back here for some rest. It’s been a long shift for both of us.”
“Definitely,” he replied.
Chapter 6
New Faces, Old Questions
Testing the Pursuer III’s systems was a critical task, but one that the crew aboard was more than capable of. Even Carnie, who seemed to enjoy the more basic controls more than anyone, ran through the long checklist easily. “I don’t know how many times I sat at the controls going from one switch to the next while our mechanics tested their repairs. The ships in our convoy were always getting patched up,” he told Minh-Chu as they tested the connections between the advanced weaponry modules on deck two of the ship. “It was a great way to get to know every ship system before they’d let me fly on my own.”
“Your experience shows,” Minh-Chu said, putting the transmission recordings he was listening to on privacy mode. “That’s why I kept you as my co-pilot on this mission.”
The display on the bulkhead in front of the large control console surrounding them displayed the blue and white gasses of the Iron Head Nebula. To the right were dozens of Freeground Fleet ships with Freeground Alpha – the fat ring holding two hundred thousand citizens that he would have once called his countrymen and women – hanging in the distance behind. The view easily tricked the eye into thinking that they were inside a cockpit that was built into the front of the ship, but they were under many layers of armour plating, near the middle of the vessel.
Most of Samurai squadron was launching from the Revenge. They were in the process of being sent out in pairs that would be linked together using their docking hitches so they could enter the dimensional transit portals opened for them by the Revenge and Triton. The short range scouting missions would only last hours for the members of Samurai Squadron. They were to take a look at the most immediate areas around Freeground Alpha’s next jump destination then reunite with the Revenge so they could support the ship as it began to make much longer jumps.
The navigational data indicated that Minh-Chu and his capable crew were going into an area of space that no one in the Freeground or Triton Fleets had ever seen. The Triton was sending twice as many scout ships out, including the other two Clever Class ships. The Clever Dream was being held back for repairs. Minh-Chu could just imagine how disappointing that must have been to Lewis, the artificial intelligence aboard.
“You’ve been quiet, man,” Carnie said. “I mean, other than the virtual briefing and running the tests.”
“This isn’t the mission I expected for Samurai Squadron,” Minh-Chu said. “It’s the most effective use for us right now, especially this crew, but I didn’t think saving Freeground would lead to this kind of exploration.”
“I’m excited. I took seeing new places, meeting new people all the time for granted when I was growing up. It was just the way things were, being in a travelling carnival, but there’s a purpose now, you know? Every time we meet someone new we could be making face time with an important ally, or a new friend, or who knows?”
“Or we could save someone’s life,” Minh-Chu said. “One of our assignments isn’t going to be so easy. We have to start listening to transmissions as we move around in the nebula. They’re our best resource for finding out what’s going on without being discovered. There are going to be a lot of distress calls, the Holocaust Virus hit the people in the nebula hard.”
It was easy to see Carnie’s mood fall at the mention of the Holocaust Virus. Minh-Chu knew that it had caused the deaths of everyone he grew up with, but he didn’t know much past that. After a while he spoke in more guarded tones. “Do you know if the Order really put the Holocaust Virus out there? I know it’s what everyone believes, and there’s evidence, but it’s hard to trust anything, man. There’s as much fake info as there is truth out there.”
“We did the leg work, pieced it all together,” Minh-Chu said. “A man named Collins designed it to look like something Jonas Valent made. I guess you’d call Jonas Jake’s memory-daddy, and Collins had a hate-on for him because of the mess we made when we ran into him. Alice was Jonas’ favourite program, and when it looked like we were going to be captured by a company called Vindyne, he let her loose, deactivated her limitations. She wrote new code for herself, killed a few of our enemies, and played a part in getting us out.”
“Wait, Jake’s daughter’s name is Alice,” Carnie said. “He must have liked that software a lot to pass the name on to flesh and blood.”
“Hold on, it gets better,” Minh-Chu said as he watched the dozen fighters from Samurai Squadron form up and begin linking in pairs. “The short version is that the ship we were held captive on was conducting bio-programming research, and after Alice was finished doing whatever she thought was important, she uploaded herself into a human host that had already been wiped clean.”
“Seriously? That’s true? I thought that was just a rumour, that she started out as an AI.”
“It’s all true,” Minh-Chu said. “Jonas was recaptured by Vindyne later, and she went back for him. She got the copy we know as Jacob, not the original Jonas. There was another former Vindyne black hat after her though, so she left him behind on a ship no one knew about, the Samson. She had no idea that he didn’t have access to Jonas’ memories though, or that it wasn’t the real Jonas. It was an experimental framework that Vindyne wanted in the wild. They wanted to see how well the programming they put into Jacob’s head worked. Anyway, we’re getting off track,” Minh-Chu said. “It took us months to put that information together in one place, but we did confirm that Collins used scraps of Alice’s code to make it look like the Holocaust Virus was made by Jacob Valent, or Jonas. It put Regent Galactic in control of the Eden ships and they spread it to other artificial intelligences so anyone who didn’t join the Order would be punished. You know the rest.”
“Thanks, that’s been bothering me. You’re going to have to tell me the rest of the story behind Jake and Alice, though, it’s not like we won’t have time.”
“Well, long story short, you haven’t met the original Alice, almost no one has. She died aboard the Triton. Something happened though, and it’s sketchy to me, but I think she became an artificial intelligence again, bounced to the Order of Eden Fleet, was downloaded into a new framework, then sent back to Haven Shore. I’ve heard Carl talk about trying some memory exercises to see if she can recall anything she learned while she was an artificial intelligence in the Order of Eden’s systems, but I think he keeps his distance a little because of Jake. Don’t repeat that.”
“Hey, my silence for the inside scoop on the Valent family? Easy trade.”
“Anyway, the Alice you saw before we left is the one we all know and love now.”
“How does she compare to the first one? The AI?”
“Still cheeky, and way more emotional in mostly good ways,” Minh-Chu said. “I’d say, even though she’s stuck in teenage body, she’s come a long way. I hope they fix that for her though. She deserves to move on after everything she’s been through.”
“I’d say so,” Carnie said. “Man, you Freeground Originals have been through a lot.”
“So muc
h that only two of us have all our original parts. I’m pretty sure I lost a few marbles along the way though,” Minh-Chu replied. “Maybe I should start at the beginning through, with the All-Con Conflict. Jonas was a baby engineer, I was a baby soldier. It’s a charming little buddy tale of gunfire, revenge and scorched earth. You’d like it.”
“I’m up for that,” Carnie said.
“We’re all set to go, Commander,” Finn said as he came through the small bridge doorway and sat down. “We have some finishing work to do down there, but you have main weapons, power, your sensors are all good to go, and the wormhole generator is all set.”
“So, what kind of finishing work are we talking about?”
“It’s the heavy weapons modules. We got crew modules, storage, and the emergency pods linked up, but none of the calibrations for the power systems were locked in by the build teams. I won’t know which heavy weapons you can trust down there until we do the work. It’s going to be a few hours.”
“I’m tempted to just leave the secondary power and weapons modules behind,” Minh-Chu replied. He knew the modules filled half of the ship’s lower deck.
“If you want us to remove the modules, it’ll take at least an hour and a half, in the hangar, and you’d lose a tertiary reactor, a shield enhancer system, expanded band scanner suite, not to mention a mine launcher, your ammo fabricator, and two heavy missile pods.”
“I think he wants us to keep the modules,” Carnie whispered.
“All right, we’ll keep them aboard, but if there’s a problem with any of the modules, I want them disconnected and powered down. This is a scouting mission, not a capitol ship hunt.”
“Gotcha, yes sir,” Finn replied.
“We’re departing in five minutes.” Minh-Chu turned to Carnie, who was finishing the flight preparations. “When we get back to Rega Gain, I’m going to have words with the finishing team on the Solar Forge. The Forge does good work, but it doesn’t mean a thing if nothing is installed right.”
“I’ll make sure I get a front row seat,” Carnie replied. “The Revenge is all charged up and ready to open a trans-dimensional hole for us. Does Freeground even know we can do this?”
“You know, I don’t think so,” Minh-Chu said. “I hope someone on that station is recording in their Control Centre. I want to see the looks on their faces when the Revenge shows them how we like to travel.”
“This is Revenge Flight,” Stephanie Vega said over the communicator. “We will be opening a trans-dimensional wormhole for you in five seconds at these coordinates, Pursuer Three. Good hunting, we’ll see you soon.”
“Thank you, Revenge Flight, good hunting,” Minh-Chu replied as he took the controls and began moving the ship into position. Several kilometres away the space in front of them split, revealing a shining blue and white font of colour. “Let’s see what’s out there.” He said as he guided the nose of the ship into the fissure.
The Pursuer III was drawn into the strange space beyond forcefully, disappearing, and the fissure closed behind it.
Chapter 7
Diving In
Everything Lieutenant Commander Liara Erron owned was in the duffel bag in the seat beside her. The Revenge had two shuttles that had seats for twenty-eight people in the main cabin. She’d never seen a shuttle quite like it before. It was stripped down to be practical, but each passenger’s space was adjustable so it could become a slim bed, or a wide bench to accommodate heavy armour with a back that slid down and out of the way. She left her chair in its default position, upright and plush.
Twenty minutes before, she was sitting on the bridge, sifting through communications between Freeground ships when Captain Valent told her that her assignment had changed. The notice came through on her station a few seconds later, and she had her subordinate take her place at communications. “Thank you, Sir,” she told Captain Valent on her way off the bridge.
She was on her way to her quarters to prepare for her departure when she realized that she hadn’t prepared a Go Bag as the fleet packet advised. With no time to spare, she took the few things she’d unpacked from her quarters, stuffed them into her duffel bag more randomly than she would have liked, and reported to the main hangar.
You will be representing Triton Fleet as you work to enhance our relations with Freeground’s government body and their military. Gain knowledge on the conditions aboard the station for a broad spectrum of civilians. Investigate the general disposition of the people and formulate an informed opinion regarding the stability of Freeground’s government. If there are significant dissenters, learn as much as you can about them, and form a relationship with them but do not damage relations with Freeground’s government or military.
A supply of food is being placed aboard your shuttle, which you can use as a bargaining tool. The shuttle and everything aboard are also at your disposal.
You will have technical and security assistance with you for this mission. They are under your command and are there to ensure your safety as well as to assist you in your mission. Take special note: Remmy Sands is a known exile of the Freeground Nation. How he is accepted or rejected is going to be a major factor in our future dealings with Freeground.
Looking across the empty seats, she mentally reviewed those orders, trying to glean more detail. The abrupt sound of metal sliding against metal followed by a thud made her jump in her seat. The port side hatch opened and Remmy smiled at her as he rushed up the stairs.
He carried his rifle across his chest, had a duffel hanging off his back, and was in full armour. Another heavily armoured soldier boarded after him, she was the same height, give or take a centimetre. Her dark eyes found Liara right away, and she smiled at her before turning and pulling the port side hatch closed.
“Looks like you’re the boss on this mission, Lieutenant Commander,” Remmy said, opening a secure locker and putting his rifle inside. He took his comrade’s rifle and did the same before closing it then calling the mission up on the access panel screen. With a practiced hand he assigned the locker to Liara, himself and his marine team member, Dotty Bedel.
“I’m glad they called on me for this mission,” the muscled woman told Liara. “It’s good to meet the lady who’s seventh in command aboard the Revenge.”
Liara stood and shook Dotty’s hand. She was faintly aware that she was seventh in command, but it was only technical data to her, the possibility of her actually having to take command was never real to her. “Thank you, this is going to be pretty boring for you two though. It’s a diplomatic mission.”
“It’s better than being stuck aboard the Revenge. All we do is work out, do simulated drills, and watch old holos from Remmy’s collection. I’m Dotty, by the way, call me Dot.”
“I thought you liked my collection,” Remmy said, dropping his duffel into a seat across from Liara then falling into the one beside it.
“Even the best you have can’t distract me from the boredom forever,” Dot said, sitting in the aisle seat across from Liara. “They keep you busy though, right?”
Liara nodded. The ship was taking off, she could hear the pulse drive cycling up from a slow, quiet series of pops to a quicker pace that eventually became a steady hum. “I didn’t expect this, though. If I’m being honest, I’m just catching up now.” The unfinished interior of the hangar rolled past the port hole view, then they were in space. They’d be at their destination within minutes. “Considering how important the mission is and how much trust is being placed in me, I wish I had more time to prepare.”
“Is this your first diplomatic mission?” Dot asked, looking a little worried.
“For Triton Fleet? Yes,” Liara said. “But I’ve been negotiating trade and practicing inter-system law near the core worlds for years.”
“Near the core worlds?” Dot asked, obviously impressed. “How near?”
“I’m from the Soroluna system, I used to work out of Elus as a freelance legal negotiator and arbitrator. Before that I was with a few big companie
s, but I got tired of the kind of work they had me doing.”
“Elus? I’ve heard of Elus! It’s the Violet City,” Dot said. She turned to Remmy to explain. “Their skies were always lit up at night by these auroras.”
“Mostly violet, I’m guessing?” Remmy replied.
“I’m sorry to say, it’s gone now,” Liara said. “The holocaust took it. I was lucky enough to be on a high speed transport in the fringes when the AI’s turned. Elus was rich, they had three bots for every human there. I could barely recognize the city in the aftermath pictures, and the bots still have the whole Soroluna system. The antivirus doesn’t work out there.”
“I’m sorry,” Dot said quietly. “I didn’t mean to bring all that back for you.”
“It’s all right, everyone has a tragedy in their lives now, but if we’re always careful to avoid mentioning something that might bring it up, we’ll never connect with each other. Speaking of our past,” Liara said, turning to Remmy. “You’re from Freeground, is there anything I need to know before we dock?”
“Well, they kicked me out for hacking into their systems so I could read all about my commanding officers and the galaxy beyond our borders without restrictions. They said I was booted for sharing with everyone who wanted it. That wasn’t the whole story though, I knew a lot of their dirty secrets, including the old Parliamentary leaders. They never proved it, but I was responsible for several leaks that showed Freeground how little we could trust the people in charge at the time.”
“That’s something you’ll have to continue to keep from them. One of my objectives is to see how hard it is to get you back onto Freeground,” Liara said.
“I almost feel sorry for you,” Remmy said. “Okay, I do feel sorry for you. That’s not going to be easy.”
“It’s a test Command wants, probably to see how flexible the new leadership is. I could have used some more warning. Anyway, what was Freeground like before you became an activist?”
Spinward Fringe Broadcast 10 Page 7
